Here's another thread on how to spend more time on your GX470 adding valuable lipstick. Since I added Raptor lights, I guess I'm now on an LED light fetish! This will be like a series of posts as I figure this out real-time. And sorry in advance if this is too simple for the electrically inclined.
[Update -- This first post was updated after I completed the project. Many of the post that follow this first post helped shape this project. In the end, I came back to document the whole job in this first post.]
The PO removed the running boards and left the step lights wire connector in place:
There are a few wiring methods for adding rock lights to the rock sliders:
1. Re-use the stock oem step light wiring harness. If you saved yours, you can just splice the ends and attach the new rock light pods using heat shrink connectors. This is probably the least amount of work and cost. Least amount of skill needed. Just wire 4 new rock light pods to the ends of the stock oem wiring harness.
2. If you are missing the step light wiring harness, then make your own wiring harness using insulated wire, wire connectors, heat shrink wrappers, soldering, etc. Maybe this is the least expensive method, but it does require you to make more wire connections.
3. Hybrid model. Buy some wire connectors and 2-way waterproof wire splitters/joiners and splice some of the connections. This is what I'm going to do and describe going forward. Advantage is that the 2-way splitters quickly disconnect and connect and are waterproof connections.
At first, I was intent on re-using that hanging connector. However, it was taking me too long to figure out the connector needed to tap into the hanging connector. Since I had to create the rest of the wiring harness, I decided to cut the connector and use heat shrink connectors to connect to custom wiring harness I'm going to make.
I'll leave the picture of this diagram to see if anyone can figure out that hanging connector type. I could not read any part numbers on the existing connectors. Either my eyes are going bad or the connectors are too faded to still show the part numbers. If anyone figures out the connector part numbers, please let me know and I'll post here. Found on this MegaZip site
Now that I'm moving on from that connector...here are the parts I ordered. I decided that 2 rock lights on each side is good enough. I didn't order the popular Sunpie 6 pod rock lights because they were back ordered 2 months. I found a similar replacements on amazon that's arriving in two days.
Sometimes I wonder if I make things harder by making my own stuff. I ordered about $81 worth of parts...maybe a rock light kit would have been cheaper! I'll have extra parts to add more lights later. You don't need the 25-foot spool of wire.
I picked these wire connectors because they had 1x2 and 1x3 splitters to join the lights to the same wiring harness. I couldn't find the 2-way or 3-way splitters for other type of waterproof connectors.
I used way more tools than I thought I was going to use:
And here's how the lights look at night. This is just after two lights installed and no brackets. I had only completed the drivers side at this point and lights were hanging free. It looks brighter than after I added brackets.
And here's a photo with both sides completed with brackets.
[Update -- This first post was updated after I completed the project. Many of the post that follow this first post helped shape this project. In the end, I came back to document the whole job in this first post.]
The PO removed the running boards and left the step lights wire connector in place:
There are a few wiring methods for adding rock lights to the rock sliders:
1. Re-use the stock oem step light wiring harness. If you saved yours, you can just splice the ends and attach the new rock light pods using heat shrink connectors. This is probably the least amount of work and cost. Least amount of skill needed. Just wire 4 new rock light pods to the ends of the stock oem wiring harness.
2. If you are missing the step light wiring harness, then make your own wiring harness using insulated wire, wire connectors, heat shrink wrappers, soldering, etc. Maybe this is the least expensive method, but it does require you to make more wire connections.
3. Hybrid model. Buy some wire connectors and 2-way waterproof wire splitters/joiners and splice some of the connections. This is what I'm going to do and describe going forward. Advantage is that the 2-way splitters quickly disconnect and connect and are waterproof connections.
At first, I was intent on re-using that hanging connector. However, it was taking me too long to figure out the connector needed to tap into the hanging connector. Since I had to create the rest of the wiring harness, I decided to cut the connector and use heat shrink connectors to connect to custom wiring harness I'm going to make.
I'll leave the picture of this diagram to see if anyone can figure out that hanging connector type. I could not read any part numbers on the existing connectors. Either my eyes are going bad or the connectors are too faded to still show the part numbers. If anyone figures out the connector part numbers, please let me know and I'll post here. Found on this MegaZip site
Now that I'm moving on from that connector...here are the parts I ordered. I decided that 2 rock lights on each side is good enough. I didn't order the popular Sunpie 6 pod rock lights because they were back ordered 2 months. I found a similar replacements on amazon that's arriving in two days.
Sometimes I wonder if I make things harder by making my own stuff. I ordered about $81 worth of parts...maybe a rock light kit would have been cheaper! I'll have extra parts to add more lights later. You don't need the 25-foot spool of wire.
I picked these wire connectors because they had 1x2 and 1x3 splitters to join the lights to the same wiring harness. I couldn't find the 2-way or 3-way splitters for other type of waterproof connectors.
I used way more tools than I thought I was going to use:
- Wire strippers
- Wire crimpers
- Metal sheet cutting scissors
- Butane lighter (highly recommend a heat gun...way better than a lighter!)
- Drill with 1/4" titanium drill bit to drill metal
- Bench vise to hold the brackets for drilling the holes
- Allen wrench to assemble the rock lights onto the custom-made bracket
- Rachet wrench for the stock oem running board bolts
- Locking pliers
- Scissors
- Exacto knife
- Mutli-meter to figure out why the lights on the passenger side weren't going on. I had crossed the stock oem wires and they didn't work. One is ground and the other is power. This is why you need to test the lights before you make things permanent.
- Heat-shrink wire connectors (get the right size 18 gauge one and get extra ones...I screwed up a handful...next time I'll get the ones that don't require crimping). Update: I did order new heat soldering wire connectors and they worked way better for me. I re-did some of my wiring on the passenger side using these heat soldering wire connectors that don't need crimping.
- 1-1/4 in. x 24 in. 20-Gauge Galvanized Strap Tie to make the light brackets. Only got two straps and cut them to make 4 brackets. Easy to bend.
- Matte black Rust-oleum spray paint to paint the brackets to provide anti-rust protection.
- 2-way wire connectors with disconnects (came in very handy when I was routing wire, testing lights).
- Rock light pods (only got 4 total - two per side - seems enough for such bright rock lights).
- Nuts to use as spacers for brackets to allow bending it in the right direction.
- Electrical tape to put over the heat shrink butt joints.
- Zip ties to manage the cables.
And here's how the lights look at night. This is just after two lights installed and no brackets. I had only completed the drivers side at this point and lights were hanging free. It looks brighter than after I added brackets.
And here's a photo with both sides completed with brackets.
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